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Daniel Chigunwe Herald Correspondent
Government’s socio-economic development stance on leaving no one and no place behind continues to bear fruitful testimonies of growth and transformation with President Mnangagwa’s mantra of “Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo/ilizwe lakhiwa nkabanikazi balo” further inspiring sterling development achievements across the country
Whilst the Second Republic has ushered in various infrastructural developments in the education and health sector through the judicious implementation of devolution strategies in many parts of the country, private players are complementing the government in further uplifting the lives of both rural and urban folks.
A true testament to this development can be captured in the strides shaping the education sector in Mazowe District in Mashonaland Central province where inspired locals are walking the talk on self-developing their society.
The Government recently revealed that the country needs at least 2800 more schools to decongest learning institutions reiterating the call to promote public and private partnerships in the construction of new schools.
Coupled with sound policies from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education which has seen the removal of erstwhile barriers in the registration of schools as well as a development-oriented and investor-friendly Mazowe Rural District Council, the district is poised for huge strides as far as education development is concerned.
The district which has a total of 160 schools is witnessing notable growth as private players like Excel Academy in Glendale are harnessing opportunities being created to support education growth.
With an enrolment of 1,163 learners, 43 teachers and ancillary staff, Excel Academy which offers both primary and secondary education, bears a true testimony of the government’s commitment towards supporting emerging schools under private players.
Having been established in 2018 with few learners depending on shack structures, the institution has grown to accommodate about nine state-of-the-art classroom blocks after the council availed a 3-hectare land for them.
“For us to be where we are today, our testimony is anchored on the inspirational mantra of Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo and the government’s genuine stance in promoting education growth for everyone,” said Excel Academy founder Mr Tatenda Horayi.
“When we started we barely had anything, our classrooms were a few wooden buildings and we only had a breakthrough after securing a 3-hectare piece of land from the Mazowe Rural District Council to establish our school and in the past few years, we have grown to have nine blocks accommodating more than 1000 learners.
“Besides having created employment for a staff of 43 teachers, we have managed to serve a large escapement area as we are drawing learners from surrounding farming and mining areas, so we have much appreciation for the council in unlocking the opportunities for players like us,” said Mr Horayi
Born and bred in Glendale, Horayi currently a Master’s in Business Administration degree student with the Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) said the solid establishment of the school has been realised through an ant-like unity of the locals.
“Working with the people of Glendale, we moulded our own bricks which we built the school from and with our own experts we are making our own classroom furniture, we have a goat, sweet potatoes and broiler projects aiding in income generation, and we have been inspired by the mantra, ‘nyika inovakwa nevene vayo’ hence we never looked for a donor, we only invested in our hands and unity to build the school brick by brick,” added Mr Horayi.
In a bid to address issues of access to Advanced Level education, the learning centre is offering Humanities and Commercial subjects whilst plans are in the pipeline to pave the way for science subjects.
“We got immense support from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education and we thank the government for removing previously existing barriers that used to hinder the process of registration, as of now we have a centre number meaning our learners are sitting for examinations,” explained the school administrator Mr Misheck Masiku.
“However, we are still wanting in terms of sporting activities since our space has failed to cater for the establishment of grounds like football pitches, so certain activities are still not being carried out though we are confident such issues will be addressed without much challenge.”
Mazowe district has over the years bore the brunt of child marriages, teen pregnancies and school dropouts with the growth of education envisioned to address some of these social challenges as local authorities continue to call for investors.
Council chairman Mr John Mudzonga has further expressed the desire to facilitate the growth of the education and health sector by unlocking opportunities to investors adding that their stance is not only meant to lure foreigners but also to promote indigenous players.
“As a council, we are very committed to seeing excellence in service delivery and this includes access to better health and education standards, therefore whilst we are busy implementing devolution we are also calling on board for private players.
“Of worth to note is that when we recently held our investment conference we reiterated that we are not only ear-making for foreign investors but rather giving preeminence to our local sons and daughters to partner government in fulfilling the President’s mantra of nyika inovakwa nevene vayo,” said Cllr Mudzonga.
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